Day: March 22, 2017

This week on the “Life. Unrestricted.” podcast, you’ll hear me a chat with a fellow official “Body Image Movement Global Ambassador”: Dan Lewin from the Sunshine Coast in Australia!

Dan is 35 years old and has recently graduated with a Bachelor of Nutrition & Dietetics (Honors) and he has started working for a group of specialized dietitians dedicated to working with clients who are battling eating disorders, disordered eating and weight and body concerns in general. In all of his work, he uses the principles of Health at Every Size (HAES) and the non-diet approach. He is very passionate about working with community and raising awareness around body image issues, for women as well as men. As a professional photographer, he uses imagery as a tool to bring attention to male and female body image concerns.
Today, you’ll hear Dan talk about:
– How he remembers his relationship to food and body as a young boy
– Where he got the message that his body was too big
– What the role of his family was in the development of his body image
– What experience kicked off his first engagement in dieting and trying to “look normal”
– How he became a slave to restricting and counting, even while traveling overseas
– Why he took things to the extreme after meeting his wife, especially with exercise
– How his behaviors influenced his relationship
– How, when he got the most compliments, his mental and physical health suffered the worst
– What made him let go of his perfectionistic tendencies
– Who and what made him see that he didn’t want to spread the diet-word and make others as miserable as he was
– What helped him to let go of his old belief that his worth was tied to his looks
– What he replaced self-hate and self-criticism with
– Why he describes the journey towards body acceptance as an ongoing, fluid process
– How defining his personal values helped him move through the initial phase of letting go of dieting
– Why uncomfortable feelings and difficult emotions are part of the way to liberation, not a sign that it’s not working
– Why we need to face our fears and actually go collect the evidence (that nothing bad will happen if we gain some weight or lose tone) to see that it was only our mind holding us prisoner for so long
– Why the study of dietetics and nutrition often only reinforces body-negativity and fails to address the epidemic of disordered eating and the increase of eating disorders
– How he discovered “The Body Image Movement” that was created by Taryn Brumfitt, the creator of the documentary “Embrace”
– Why he would love to see more men watching this movie
– How he tries to encourage and inspire other men to talk about their struggles
– Why he thinks body image can never be a static thing
– Why he believes it is critical to teach the younger generation about media- and marketing literacy
– How he intends to fight against the disgraceful “headless fatty” phenomenon in media imagery…

His favorite quote:
“To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best to make you everybody BUT yourself means to fight the hardest battle that any human being could fight.”
– E. E. Cummings

Make sure to join my tribe and meet some of the most supportive, loving and kind people of all shapes and sizes, including great coaches and leaders! We’re right over here at: http://www.lifeunrestricted.org/join/